Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Matt Steinfort tells us how DigitalOcean is making AI more accessible to small tech companies by offering AI compute capacity in manageable, on-demand chunks. This allows smaller developers to integrate AI into their applications without needing extensive resources. Additionally, DigitalOcean is using AI to enhance its own services, making them easier […]
1,018: From Complexity to Clarity: Simplifying Business Segments for Investor Insight | Shelagh Glaser, CFO, Synopsys
When asked to share a single career chapter that has influenced her strategic mind-set as a finance leader, Synopsys CFO Shelagh Glaser knew exactly what to cite. She described a period that had unfolded during her 29 years at Intel Corp., when—seemingly overnight—consumer appetite for tablets had begun to upend Intel's enduring PC chips business.…
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1,013: The Curious CFO: Crafting the Future of Space | Muhammad Shahzad, CFO, Relativity Space
Mo Shahzad is not one for trivial conversations. At Relativity Space, he’s known for a deep curiosity that is often manifested by his engagement with team members in discussions about their interests and passions. This intellectual curiosity is not just a personal trait—it’s a vital tool toward empowering his role as CFO. Shahzad's ability to…
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The Mentoring Round | Jeff Bray, CFO, Semperis
Inside The Mentoring Round, Semperis CFO Jeff Bray emphasizes the importance of concentrating investments on the best ideas rather than spreading resources too thinly. In his transition from an analyst to a portfolio manager, he shifted the strategy to focus on the top three to five investment ideas from each analyst, significantly enhancing portfolio performance. […]
The Mentoring Round | Jennifer Loo, CFO, Tala
Inside The Mentoring Round, CFO Jennifer Loo explains why the metric of customer lifetime value (CLV) is her core indicator of business performance, emphasizing the importance of delivering value to customers and understanding their engagement and commitment. Loo emphasizes the importance of finance professionals keeping their “heads up” — engaging beyond spreadsheets to understand broader […]
987: May the Road Rise to Meet You | Jennifer Loo, CFO, Tala
Back in 2009, with a law degree in hand along with a smattering of frontline consulting experience, Jennifer Loo swung open the door at LegalZoom—where in short order she was tasked with architecting the fast-growing company's FP&A function from the ground up. For Loo, the responsibilities that would quickly surface at LegalZoom did not necessarily…
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985: A World Where Everything Is Negotiable | Sarah Alper, CFO, Pactum AI
As Pactum AI embarks on a pivotal phase of commercialization, the arrival of Sarah Alper in the AI-driven company’s CFO office is by no means a coincidence. Having transitioned from structured finance roles at General Electric to the dynamic environment of UiPath, Alper now brings to the table a blend of experience in operational finance,…
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978: From Silicon Roots to Global Routes | Jeff Woolard, CFO, Velocity Global
Looking back at his 26 years at Intel Corp., Jeff Woolard has more than a few moments of important discernment from which to choose when we ask for a single finance strategic moment. Nevertheless, without hesitation, he takes us back in time to when the giant chipmaker was experiencing a recurring mismatch between the products…
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940: All the Moving Parts | Michael Linford, CFO, Affirm
For those executives residing inside the private equity and investment banking realms who aspire to someday occupy the CFO office, it’s not uncommon to seek out an “operator’s role”—one that allows recruiters “to check the box” and confidently present a leadership candidate (operations credentials intact) to a company’s management team or board members. “Inspect your…
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928: The Strategy Between the Slices | Steven Cirulis, CFO, Potbelly
Perhaps it would be fair to speculate that were it not for the changing dietary habits of Americans and surprise arrival of a global pandemic, Steven Cirulis would likely not be occupying the CFO office at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. The pursuit of new alternative proteins inside the land of agtech has in recent years led…
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927: A Phone Call from Someone Who Mattered | Matt Gustke, CFO, WooCommerce
No matter how many phone calls Matt Gustke receives during the span of his finance career, none will likely be more memorable or important than one he received nearly 22 years ago. At the time, Gustke, a research analyst for a major bank, was spending his days assessing the carnage piling up in the aftermath…
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The Enterprise Mindset: When Firm Trumps Function | Julie Swinney, CFO, Zendesk
CFO GUEST: Julie Swinney of Zendesk Julie Swinney, CFO, Zendesk reflects back on a career chapter at Intel Corp. when she stepped into a General Manager role after a GM departed the company. Swinney, a career finance executive, stresses the importance of an enterprise mindset, which involves putting the company’s interests first, instead of just […]